GULF OPERATIONS IN 1862 AND 1863. i
BY PROFESSOR JAMES RUSSELL SOLEY, U. S. N.
T he regular monotony of the blockade of Mo-bile by the West Gulf squadron was inter-rupted only by the two successful passages of theOreto or Florida , under Commander J. N. Maffitt,C. S. N., past the blockading squadron, inward onthe 4th of September, 1862, and outward on the16th of January, 1863. The first passage wasmade in broad daylight, under the disguise of anEnglish gun-vessel, at a time when the Oreto wasshort-handed, the captain and crew ill, and the bat-tery incapable of resistance. As a bold dash, itwas hardly paralleled during the war. The secondpassage was made at night, without disguise, afterthe squadron had received full warning, and hadbeen reenforced specially to capture the cruiser.
On the Texas coast the blockade was only ofmoderate efficiency, and in the summer of 1862Farragut determined to convert it at the principalpoints into an occupation. With this object, hesent out three expeditions. The first, under Acting-Lieutenant J. W. Kittredge, successfully attackedCorpus Christi August 16th-18th, but having notroops to hold the place withdrew to the bay.The second expedition, composed of the Kensing-ton and Rachel Seaman, under Acting-Master Fred-erick Crocker, w r as sent in September to SabinePass, a point of great importance in blockade-running operations on account of the neighboringrailroad, and at that time under purely formalblockade. Crocker ascended the river, capturedthe fort at Sabine City, destroyed the railroadbridge, and broke up a Confederate camp. Raidsin the passes resulted in the capture of the steamerFan and the schooner Velocity, which were leftWith the Rachel Seaman to maintain the blockade.
The third and most important expedition, underCommander W. B. Renshaw, composed of theferry-boats Westfield and Clifton, the latter underLieutenant-Commander R. L. Law; the HarrietLane, Commander J. M. Wainwright, and the0Wasco, Lieutenant-Commander John Guest, tookpossession of Galveston in October without a con-flict. Colonel Burrell, with only 260 men, wasSent to hold the town. The flotilla, which carriedheavy armament, was disposed about the harbora ml bay, and held the town for two months, butWithout proper precautions against attack.
At daybreak on the 1st of January, 1863, Gen-eral Magruder, commanding the Confederate forces111 Texas , made a vigorous attack on the city. Thebridge by which alone troops could march to thetown, and which might easily have been destroyed,Was left unguarded. The Confederates, early inthe night, planted batteries unobserved just out-vie the town, and abreast of the Harriet Lane,Which lay in a narrow channel near the shore. Alittle farther to the eastward, abreast of the town,Were the gun-boat Sachem and the yacht Corypheus.A- mile farther down the bay were the Clifton andC Wasco , and two miles away the Westfield, Ren-shaw’s vessel. The enemy had two cotton-clad
steamers, the Bayou City and Neptune, the first car-rying a rifled 32-pounder, and the second two how-itzers. Each had from 150 to 200 sharp-shooters.
Of the vessels the Harriet Lane bore the bruntof the attack, the Oivasco being the only one of herconsorts that lent any assistance. The BayouCity's rifle burst at the third fire, and the Neptunestove in her bow in an attempt to ram, and sankon the flats. The Bayou City then ran alongsidethe Harriet Lane and opened a withering musketryfire from behind the cotton-bales, in which Com-mander Wainwright was killed and his first-lieu-tenant, Lea, mortally wounded. The Confederatesthen carried the Lane by boarding, the officer incommand surrendering without serious attempt atresistance. Hostilities were now suspended await-ing an answer from Renshaw to the demand for asurrender of all the vessels. The Clifton carriedthis message to the Westfield, and took back Ren-sliaw’s refusal, after which she executed her orders,which were to take the vessels out of the harbor.Meantime the enemy had moved up their lines.Burrell surrendered the town, and the Westfield,getting aground, was set on fire at Renshaw’sorder, and blew up prematurely, killing Renshawand several of his men. Law, of the Clifton, nowthe senior officer, immediately steamed away, andthe blockade was raised. (See also pp. 586-7.)
On the 8th the blockade was resumed by Com-modore Bell, with the Brooklyn , Hatteras, and.several gun-boats. On the 11th the Hatteras w'assent after the Alabama , supposed to be a blockade-runner. The Alabama , after drawing the Hatteras-away from her consorts, sank her in a fifteen-minute fight.
On the 21st of January the blockading force atSabine Pass, composed of the sailing-ship MorningLight, and the schooner Velocity, was attacked bytwo cotton-clad steamers, and, being unable tomanoeuvre, surrendered. The blockade was re-sumed the next day by the New London and Cayuga.
After the fall of Port Hudson, General Banks took up the question of Texas . His first plan wasto land at Sabine Pass and strike the railroad.The expedition was composed of troops underFranklin, and the Clifton, Sachem, Granite City,and Arizona under Lieutenant Crocker. On the8tli of September the gun-boats moved up the passto attack the enemy’s fort. The Clifton ran ashore,and soon after got a shot in her boiler. TheSachem’s boiler also was penetrated, and both ves-sels surrendered after heavy loss. The remainderretreated.
Banks now decided to attack Texas near the RioGrande , and his troops, escorted by the Monon-gahela and other vessels under Commander J. H.Strong, landed at Brazos November 2d. Browns-ville, Corpus Christi , Aransas, and Fort Esperanzaat Pass Cavallo, were captured, but owing to thelack of troops to hold the various points, no fur-ther operations were attempted.
J See Vol. II., p. 13.
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